Same ol' Boys

The Dallas Cowboys have once again proved that they are good enough to lose in dramatic fashion. In a scenario that has been very familiar in the past few years, the Cowboys once again shriveled in the moment and blew a game that easily should  have been theirs. They make Lebron James look as clutch as MJ with their frightened school-girl cloak that they put on every 4^th quarter.

Tom Brady is a bag of horse-shit, but a bag of horse-shit that wins. The Cowboys are like the fuck-child of a bag of horse-shit and a bag of dog-shit. They reek of folding-chair syndrome. Ever since the fired Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett has tried to change the mentality and toughness level of the team. Their defense is clearly a far superior force to that cartoon network cast they put out their last year, but the offense has regressed in grotesque fashion and the defense, as good as they have been, still cannot put teams away.

Here are a few thoughts from last nights game. Yes, the defense played exceptionally well, and the offense, ONCE AGAIN, put them in extremely difficult situations, where they often had to defend half the field. Still, their run defense was gruesome  and despite 3 sacks, their pressure often resembled Citi Field crowd…non-existent. And you have to stop them on that last drive even if it was the offense’s fault that you were put in that terrible position.

Now…the offense. Fucking disgusting. Watching Garrett’s play-calling at times can be like chugging month-old whole milk. Over and over again, we have seen conservative play-calling at the end of games when the Cowboys have the lead fail. Garrett needs to fix this egregious running game before he can start trying to have them finish out games. I like Demarco Murray to get more touches and I like Tashard Choice to fuck off and leave this team—his big fumble may have sealed his fate.

The offensive line has gotten little push and their discipline is still terrible. Doug Free has seemingly regressed after a stellar output last year. He had 3 penalties by himself  in the 1^st quarter and has not been as reliable with outside rushers. I can’t get on Tyron Smith too much for his repeated penalties because he is a rookie, its expected.

Romo once again was good enough to have decent stats and a few nice passes but at the end of the day he is either throws retarded passes to the wrong team, get’s tentative, happy-feet in the pocket and doesn’t connect with his receiver, or goes to the wrong check-down in critical 3^rd down situations. And by the way, didn’t the Cowboys have an extra week to prepare for this game? What the fuck do Romo and Dez Bryant do during practice? Do they even practice on the same team—I’ve had enough of these two not being on the same page. I see this as more of a Dez issues because as talented as he is, this “he wasn’t able to practice” excuse is complete bullshit. He needs to study the plays and know what the fuck to do. I can’t stomach him running one way an Romo throwing the other way.

One final thought…Anthony Spencer could be the goat of the game. He had 3 penalties that ultimately could have cost the Cowboys. His idiotic roughing the passer and the kicker penalties literally let the Patriots sustain drives that were dead in the water, and these continuations allowed them to pull out the victory. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more Victor Butler in the coming weeks.

Tony Romo...fuck you

I’ve never been so happy to not be in America…because if I was in America that would mean I’m in the same country as Tony Romo.

The leagues biggest muppet

Enough is E-fucken-nough. The jury is officially out on Romo…he is downright retarded…you don’t need sophisticated words to describe it. Retarded is something everyone understands.

If you look at the Cowboys this year they are really 2-0. Tony Romo is 2-2. He literally lost the Jets game and this DISGRACE of a game to the Lions. He is like the Santa Clause of the NFL…dropping off gift victories down every NFL franchises chimney and then squatting down the Cowboys chimney, the coal glistening in his stupid eyes, and taking a fat Romo-ey dump. ESPN’s Bill Simmonds suggested a QB stat called a “Romo” that accounts for all bone headed plays made by a quarterback. No surprises here, Romo leads the league in Romo’s.

What have we learned this year? The Cowboys defense is actually outstanding thus far. Rob Ryan has these guys playing. The Cowboys offensive line isn’t great yet but it is still improved over last year. The Cowboys have gotten a lot out of a receiving corps that is plagued with injuries and they have a subpar running game. Then there is Romo. First orchestrating the largest 4^th quarter collapse in Cowboys history, but he decided to up the ante on his blunderous ways and orchestrate the largest Cowboys collapse in its entire history.

Tony Romo’s two best friends are Jason Witten and Lions LB (and miserably busted former first round pick out of OSU) Bobby Carpenter. If I were Jason Witten I would string Romo up with a rope. Witten saves Romo’s ass time after time and sacrifices his beat-up body every play. If I were Bobby Carpenter, I would name my first child Tony because, Tony showed how much he loved his friend Bobby…by  tossing him an interception and then showing him the way to the end

zone, effectively ending the game for the Cowboys.

There’s gotta be a nice bounty out on Romo in Dallas. Where’s The Dog and his fat trailer park wife when you need them?  

Red Sox blow just like the Mets

I would like to dedicate this blog to John Tunas and the Boston Red Sox. Thank you  Red Sox for fucking up so bad, and blowing your huge September Wild Card lead. Thank you for embarrassing your entire city and choking like a Jenna Jameson porno while the Tampa Bay Rays stormed back to take the AL Wild Card. Thank You Boston Red Sox for taking the “Biggest Collapse” burden off of the New York Mets. We were tired of holding onto that trophy… The Mets have long been the most embarrassing franchise in sports but at least we have Bill Buckner and now were not the only team who can’t win when it counts. The Mets could probably have beaten the Orioles too, unless Tom Glavine was on the mound. Papelbon looked like Armando Benitez out there. He can do an irish jig straight to hell.

Jose Reyes...Mets...Embarrassment

A Mets player has, for the first time in their history, won a batting title…and it’s still an embarrassment. Yup, Jose Reyes, arguably one of the best players in MLB, and certainly the most dynamic, finished his stellar 2011 campaign with a .337 average, beating out the Brewers Ryan Braun.

And still it all happened in the typical embarrassing and confusing New York Mets fashion. As expected, the Mets season has long been irrelevant so we only had Jose Reyes to boast about. In a selfish, player before team manner, and even worse, COWARDLY manner, Jose asked to be taken out of the last game of the season after getting a bunt single in his first at-bat.

The Mets fans booed and they have every right to. Not only was this potentially his last game, but what kind of man are you? Compete motherfucker. Compete. So what if you got out your last 3 at bats and Ryan Braun (who went 0-4 anyways) beat you out. At least you would have played through. Now this first batting title for the NY Mets feels tainted, and everyone will regard it as such from here on out. I don’t like the Red Sox but I respect the hell out of Ted Williams for taking every at bat possible in 1941. He didn’t give a shit what his average was, he was a man and wanted to play the season through. Oh yeah, by the way…his average in his last games (it was a double header for the final day of the season) was 399.5. He went 6-8 and ended up batting .406 Man talk.

Don’t get me wrong, I fucking  want Jose Reyes back as badly as any intelligent Mets fan. He is a cornerstone of our team and if we want any legitimate chance of success in winning ballgames and attracting free agents, he must be on a roster. I am just saddened by his decision to disgrace the Mets, but at least our skin is thick for this type of shit.

Final thought…Terry Collins was holding back tears at his press conference and it is obvious that he did not want to take Reyes out of the game, as he is a true baseball professional. Smart also because he had no choice but to accede to Reyes’ request. The Mets need Reyes back so if he asks you to take him out, you have to listen. Collins did a hell of a job this year with a shit team that was even shittier after injuries. I am excited for him to coach a good team if that day ever comes.

Redskins get Hogtied by the Boys...cuz my boys gotta hit too

Last year's first match up between the Cowboys and the Redskins started with me being extremely tired after a day-long drive from Chapel Hill NC with M. Sanz to his house in New York. The Cowboys lost in one of the most embarrassing fashion's in their teams storied history.

In this year's first match-up, thanks to skype and M. Sanz (my boy gotta get a hit too) I was able to see (when the connection allowed) to see the Cowboys gain some redemption from Beirut.

Next Question

This game was sloppy, and like last year's came down to the wire, but the Cowboys knocked the over-achieving Skins out of first place and now share that spot with the Giants. Let's not get too excited however. I don't want to sound overly pessimistic but the Cowboys looked pretty bad against a team that is not that good. Yes, the Skins defense has been underrated but Rex Grossman is the equivalent of a New York Mets 5th hitter...which is equivalent to the 8th batter on any other major league team. He blows.  The week before, we barley escaped with a victory against a SF team that is also terrible and has an even worse QB. These Cowboys are not yet ready for real teams. Still...this start to the season beats the hell out of last years.

Some of the many negatives from the game...The play-calling was suspect today, the offensive line struggled---what the fuck is going on with these shot-gun center exchanges? I thought it was just an Andre Gurode problem but his replacement, Phil Costa, snapped early 4x today. Part of this is Romo's fault clearly. This MUST be addressed in practice, its downright childish. Also, the receiving corps is about as productive as Stuart Scott's eye without Miles Austin in the lineup. Dez needs to get healthy and prove that he can be a consistent threat, and Ogletree needs to seize this once in a lifetime opportunity and play with more consistency.

Bailey bailed our the Cowboys with his leg

There were some positive signs however. Game balls have to go to Felix Jones, who finally over came an abysmal start to the season and broke for his first 100+ game of the season. Demarcus Ware and Sean Lee continued their dominance. Victor Butler has proven that he deserves more playing time and Jay Ratliff came through at the end when it mattered most. I really think this defense will evolve into a scary machine in a few weeks time when the secondary is fully healthy and Rob Ryan's scheme is fully implemented.  One more game ball... Dan Bailey. Balls to the wall with his kicks today. It's disgraceful that we need to kick 6 field goals to win a game but he made everyone, under pressure. We all know Buehler would have missed around 2 of those.

two last thoughts..D'angelo Hall...you're and idiot and next time you think about talking about hitting a quarterback you should remember that you have two 1/2 sacks in your career. So I guess you have one, but you got help with it. Also...Tashard Choice... you blow.

Cowboys overcome 49ers but Injuries could be detrimental

Injuries will mar the Cowboys Season:

Gutsy win yesterday by the Cowboys, and hats off to Romo for actually coming up big for once in his career. That, Jerry Jones, was a good game by Romo, not last week. 

But there is so much cause for concern right now its tough to be excited after barley beating a team that will be lucky if it goes .500 this season. And it seems that all the Cowboys bones and muscle fibers are made of Charmin toilet paper. The Cowboys aren’t good enough to deal with this multitude of injuries; they have absolutely no depth.

The secondary is makeshift. I doubt Newman will ever be consistently in the lineup, Scandrick is out for at least 3 more weeks and Mike Jenkins seems like he’s a tough hit away from being out for a game or two.

On the offensive side, we are really in trouble. Romo has 2 fractured ribs, and this is not an injury that will heal quickly. If Romo does gut it out and play, he will be at serious risk, as opposing defenses will be gunning to knock him out. If he doesn’t play that means Jon Kitna will, and I’m sorry, he’s not going to be surprisingly good two seasons in a row.

(Side note: Like usual, all the Cowboys and ESPNDALLAS.COM staff writers have been quick to jump back on the Tony Romo bandwagon. Many are predicting this game will be a defining moment, and all of a sudden Tony Romo is clutch. It is possible and I hope they’re right. But reality check…I’ll wait for him to win a few more big games before I talk about career changing moments.)

At wide receiver, the Cowboys were thin to begin with. Dez Bryant always seems to be banged up, and sat out last night with a quad injury. Miles Austin’s hamstring has always been an issue. If Austin is not in the lineup, it severely limits the Cowboys options.

Felix Jones had a great preseason and everyone was thinking that this would be his year. One problem: He still is as brittle as butter. He separated his shoulder, and even if he is able to play in the next few weeks, he will at best be tentative and ineffective. The running game has really been awful thus far, and it needs to become a focus in practice.

This team showed a mental toughness that they haven’t had in over two years, but if they are physically depleted on the field, it won’t matter how badly they want it. 

Cowboys Issues...

Cowboys Issues:

Jerry's been trippin

The Cowboys have more to worry about than just being 0-1 and losing their first game in a horrendous, 2010esque fashion. Lets start up top. The Cowboys have a lunatic in charge of the important decisions. Jerry thought Romo played a great game last week. That is a mentally challenging argument to make. He also thought that it would be okay to only have 4 cornerbacks on the roster, one of whom is injury-prone and the other three unproven…here is where the problems will begin.

Terence Newman will be out once again, and despite Alex Smith’s ineptness, the 49ers do have playmakers in the receiving corps. Mike Jenkins has been banged up, although he did play well last week. Now Orlando Scandrick is out for 4 weeks and the only person left is Alan Ball? Alan Ball sucks, there is no way around that.

Sean Lee looks like an emerging star and hopefully he and the boys up front can create enough havoc to help out the secondary, but once again the Cowboys look stupid for not having properly bolstered their secondary.

On the offensive side of the ball, the team is going to live and die by the arm of Romo. He is good enough to put points on the board, but in the end he is a hog chugger. He has failed time and time again to excel when it matters most I have defended him in the past, and his talent is unquestionable; but I am sick of reading articles by Dallas journalists who talk about how much Tony Romo loves playing under pressure and isn’t scared of it. Great, he’s not scared, he just blows under it.

Also, the offensive line and running game need to step it up. I realize the Jets run defense is among the league best, but Felix Jones needs to start replicating his preseason. The young guys, like Bill Nagy are going to have to do a better job of generating push. Newly signed Derrick Dockery is expected to start this week because of a neck injury to Nagy. Also, the line and Tashard Choice need to get a damn yard when you need a damn yard. That is unacceptable.

Dez Bryant’s status is questionable with a bruised thigh. He needs to man up and play. He is too important to the team to not play, especially since the thought of Kevin Olgletree being the starter opposite Miles Austin makes me want to jump off my roof.

Issues aside, I expect Dallas to crush their once heated rival, the San Francisco 49ers. Just sayin.

Too bad his collar bone healed...

Week 1: Cowboys 24 Jets 27

Romo has lost the last 6 games he's started

I’m sorry, I thought Wade Phillips was fired last season. This team choked in the same way that Wade’s teams choked last season. Choked hard on the hog. Tony Romo may have proven once and for all that he will never live up to his superfluous expectations. He has failed, often miserably, in too many big games… and yes, this was a huge game.

The Jets were one of the best teams in the NFL last year, and should be again this year. We have a matchup of the Ryan brothers and this was the Cowboys first game after a terrible 2010, with Jason Garrett completely in control. They outplayed the Jets for the entire game, and then Romo literally handed the game back to the Jets. How do you toss a 64 yard pass to Witten and get to the Jets 2 yard line and then fucking fumble that away? Sorry Tony, you’re not a kid anymore, you’re supposed to be a grown ass man. You’re a veteran in you’re 30’s now. Tuck that ball away, slide on the ground. Do anything but what you did.

Then, after your defense gets your back and forces a Jets turnover,  what do you do?  Foolishly and arrogantly try to force the ball to Dez Bryant whose being guarded by the best receiver in football? I know Dez had been performing well earlier in the game but that is just fucking stupid.

Also, good teams don’t have things like getting punts blocked happen to them. That’s just childish. The Cowboys look like they will be a hell of a lot more competitive than last year, but it won’t matter if we have a quarterback who continuously blunders about in big moments and it won’t matter if we have a team that still “shrinks in the moment” and blows 4^th quarter leads. Talk is cheap Red J…results determine your worth. 

AMERICA: A Brief Essay on What Defines Americans

Today marks the ten-year anniversary of the most tragic and shocking day in American history. On a quiet, beautiful morning ten years ago, the clear blue New York skies were diluted with a shroud of terrible and angry fire, smoke, and debris, as two commercial airliners struck the Twin Towers. A few hundred miles south, the Pentagon was breached by another doomed airplane. United Flight 93 tumbled fatally into a field in Pennsylvania.

September 11^th changed the entire world but it did not change who American’s are. It simply reinvigorated, perhaps revitalized, and definitely reaffirmed what we are, and what we have been since our colonial birth. 9/11 ultimately begs the question; What is an American?

When people talk about America, trite adjectives such as Freedom and Patriotism are often thrown carelessly around. Sometimes, unbeknownst to us, we take for granted that we live in the greatest nation that has existed on this ancient planet. That is a fact. We have proven time and time again that our nations backbone is not brittle, but in fact, more hardened and sturdy than that of any other nation on this earth. Our people are the most resilient on the planet and that is because it is in our blood.  

This nation was founded on the premise of personal freedom in all fractions of life. The notion of defying tyranny and having freedom of religion, expression and thought as well as a chance to delineate the course of your own life, were not new ideas but we were the first to turn the key and make it a way of life.

Washington Crossing the Deleware

 We founded our nation, starting with the Declaration of Independence, under the premise that no man should be deprived of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Over 200 years later, we don’t have a perfect society, but perfection is impossible. It is the journey that defines perfection. George Washington believed so much in the idea of America that he risked everything he had, and extracted everything his ragged army had, to defeat the greatest army in the world at the time.

The brilliant minds of the founding fathers, bickered and squabbled, as our politicians do now, over what sort of document could govern “The Land of the Free.” They did not let their differences stop them however, and produced our Constitution, which, despite its little imperfections, has held this country together for generations.

Abraham Lincoln was willing to wage a war to not only exercise the rhetoric of the Declaration of Independence to its full capacity and abolish slavery, but to ensure that this nation remained unified. More American’s died in the Civil War than in any other endeavor we have partaken in. Still, it is a terrible but positive chapter in our history. We endured.

In the late 1950’s and throughout  1960’s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others held their ground against an undercurrent of sick and overt racism and demanded that America live up to its credence. The success of the human rights era of the United States finally helped to complete the composition of the country.

 We are a country of eclectic character. We are all immigrants; A melting pot of personal and collective struggle, fight and determination. We may not all embody the exact same principles and we may not all share the same specific beliefs, but we share a bond that is stronger than the greatest stone pillars on earth. We wake up and breathe a fresher air than anywhere else in the world. That air is fresher because we created it, without any compromise.

Many countries have tired to emulate our principles, and none have yet to elicit the success we have. Many other countries despise us because, in reality, we enjoy prosperity and a degree of happiness that is impossible for them.

We enjoy the freedom to make choices and enjoy social and economic prosperity. We can drink beer, smoke cigarettes, sing and dance, laugh and cry, wherever and whenever we want. We can get an education and if we apply ourselves in the correct manner, get whatever kind of job we want. We don’t have to look over our shoulder after every decision we make. We have a beautiful country that is worth fighting for, and that is why we have greater will and an unyielding, implacable strength that cannot be matched.

Our reaction to 9/11 was just an affirmation of this. The terrorists drastically underestimated our reserve, which is forged with blood and steel.  They thought that we would keel over and cry ourselves to death after the greatest attack on our nations soil. True, we were shocked and appalled, but we did the only thing we knew how to do: We got up, looked the devil straight in the eye and told him to come get some. As British philosopher Edmund Burke once said, “All that is necessary for evil to succeed, is for good men to do nothing.”  Point taken. Evil did not succeed, and will never succeed in this country.

As I write from my hotel balcony in Beirut, I can’t help but think of the Stars and Stripes that define our country. They defined my father and his father before him. They define me and always will. These stripes do not fray, do not wither and will not tear. They will endure longer than time itself.

 I was told here that I need to act less American or I could get into trouble; Wrong advice to tell an American. We our too proud and we have good reason to be. Being American may mean something different to every individual but there is one thing that it means for sure. It means being great.

Thomas Paine once famously wrote “ These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer solider and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph.” We are no sunshine patriots. We are American Patriots; Triumph We Have, Triumph We Will.

Cowboys resign Jason Witten

For all of Jerry Jones' failures as a GM in the past 15 years he has gotten a few things right. Today he resigned Jason Witten to a 5 yr 37million dollar deal, ensuring that the franchises best TE will retire a Cowboy. This comes on the wings of the Cowboys resigning Jay Ratliff who, along with DeMarcus Ware, is the cornerstone of the Cowboys defense.

Witten hasn't just been a model of consistency, tenacity and hard work. He has been one of the few ELITE tight ends in NFL history, not just Cowboys history. He embodies what an NFL player should be, and is respected not only by his contemporary peers but by former legends as well. He works his ass off and demands excellence from not only himself but his teammates. He blocks well, he catches nearly everything that comes his way and he runs routes in such an exceptional manner he is almost impossible to cover despite his lack of speed.

Jerry has fucked up the draft almost every year but by resigning Romo, Witten, Ware, Ratliff and Doug Free to long term deals, there is an exceptional core in place. Now the rest of the body needs to be filled out in an appropriate manner.

Cowboys 2011 season outlook

Hello from Jordan...the country....I'm still going to be looking after my boys from the middle east no matter how much sleep it costs me...

The Cowboys have pretty much finalized their roster and the team that's in camp now is likely going to be the team that heads to NY on September 11th for what promises to be an enthralling showdown. I think that Cowboys fans can look forward to this season with guarded optimism. The Garrett era is in full effect and I think we will see a much more disciplined, physical, and overall better team on the field. Despite the defenses struggles throughout the preseason, I attribute much of that to trying to learn Rob Ryan's defensive scheme in a short amount of time. I think eventually this defense will be far superior to last years.

Here is where some problems lie. Despite a new defensive scheme, the defense suffered from a lack of quality players last year and they still suffer this year. Alan Ball was replaced by Abram Elam at safety (a definite upgrade) and Igor Olshanky  (a Wade Phillips guy) was cut and his lack of production will not be missed. Still, his replacement, Kenyon Coleman doesn't really get my blood flowing, and there has been a consistent lack of pass rush this preseason. The Cowboys cornerbacks are not good enough to play man to man and if Ryan can't figure out a way to consistently pressure the QB, the defense will find itself giving up tons of disastrous plays.

On the offensive side of the ball, I think the Cowboys have made every single right move. Romo has looked great this off season, as had Jason Witten and Dez Bryant. Miles Austin needs to have a bounce-back year and their lack of depth at the WR position is a serious concern. Their 3rd receiver is the unproven, inconsistent, but highly talented, Kevin Olgletree. The Offensive line was completely overhauled, with last years 3 worst players let go. The problem is that they were replaced with talented but hugely inexperienced players. I would feel better if the Cowboys sign another veteran that can fill in if any of these youngsters falter. Still, the line is much more athletic and the running game should get a huge boost from it. 

Speaking of the running game, I think that the Cowboys will catch everyone by surprise in that category this year. The more athletic line will pave the way for Felix Jones and Demarco Murray to have big seasons. Whether Tashard Choice or Phillip Tanner mans the 3rd spot could be negligible, both are tough runners.

The one area of huge concern, and it always is, is the kicking game. It looks as though the Cowboys will go with two kickers on the roster. The incumbent, Buehler, will go back to his original occupation as a kick-off man. With the new kick-off rule, there is no reason why he shouldn't have a touchback every time he boots the ball. Rookie kicker Dan Bailey has been impressive enough in camp (and Buehler has been unimpressive enough) to get a spot on the team as the place kicker. I actually like him kicking the FG's instead of Buehler, but the fact that the Cowboys have to waste a valuable roster spot on another kicker is concerning. 

Lets face reality: This is a semi-rebuilding year for the Cowboys and their expectations are vastly minimal to those of the past few seasons. Still, I like being the underdog. As we know, everyone who is picked to win the NFC East every year, somehow falters. Don't be surprised if the Cowboys surprise people by coming out on top this season.